Just as a man who takes pleasure in the conquest of feminine hearts invariably finds himself at last ensnared by the very passion which he has been using simply for the gratification of his vanity, I am inclined to think that the element of vanity enters, to a degree, into every phase of book collecting; vanity is, I take it, one of the essentials to a well-balanced character--not a prodigious vanity, but a prudent, well-governed one. But for vanity there would be no competition in the world; without competition there would be no progress.英文原著 · 《The Love Affairs Of A Bibliomaniac》
Do not let us abuse vanity, therefore. Rather let us use it. Honor itself is but the highest form of vanity. The instinct is not confined solely to Beau Brummels and Dolly Vardens. There is the vanity of the peacock and the vanity of the eagle. Snobs are vain. But so, too, are heroes. Come, oh!英文原著 · 《Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow》
He saw that he had wounded her vanity, that her protestations of humility were precisely what he had suspected. He laughed at her: "I see you thought I'd contradict you. But I can't afford to be so amiable now. And the first thing you've got to get rid of is the part of your vanity that prevents you from growing. Vanity of belief in one's possibilities is fine. No one gets anywhere without it. But vanity of belief in one's present perfection--no one but a god could afford that luxury."英文原著 · 《The Dust》
He looked at her and she at him. And for an instant her eyes softened. There was the appeal of weak human heart to weak human heart in his gaze. Her lip quivered. A brief struggle between vanity and love-- and vanity, the stronger, the strongest force in her life, dominating it since earliest babyhood and only seeming to give way to love when love came--it was vanity that won. She stiffened herself and her mouth curled with proud scorn. She laughed--a sneer of jealous rage. "Father," she said, "the lady in the case is a common typewriter in his office."英文原著 · 《The Dust》
"Well, Mme. la Marquise, have you given a little thought to the great mass of human suffering? Have you raised your eyes above our earth and seen the immensity of the universe?--the worlds beyond worlds which crush our vanity into insignificance, and with our vanity reduce our sorrows?"英文原著 · 《A Woman of Thirty》
Ina Klosking's pale cheek colored, and then she opened her two arms wide, and put them round Fanny's neck and kissed her: her innocent vanity was gratified, and her gracious nature suggested gratitude to her who had brought her the compliment, instead of the usual ungrateful bumptiousness praise elicits from vanity.英文原著 · 《A Woman-Hater》
You know, like how we satiate TV creators by giving them little vanity cards at the end of episodes, then sell the shows to streaming networks that auto-skip the end credits so no one even sees the vanity cards!美剧 · 《Bojack Horseman》
- Vanity? - Yeah, vanity, self-indulgence, whatever you want to call feeling sorry for yourself - ever since that night... - How dare you.美剧 · 《Suits》
If you had, maybe I'd have gone for it, counting on that special vanity that a man with a custom cue has.美剧 · 《Billions》
So I'm at a bit of a loss whether to appeal to your decency, your vanity, your avarice. or just to your fear center.美剧 · 《Billions》